Drive unit bearing assembly



Dec. 14, 1965 G. Y. ONO 3,223,465

DRIVE UNIT BEARING ASSEMBLY Original Filed Sept. 23, 1957 CONTROL L 52 INVENTOR. sees Y O/VO RNEYS BY A'ITO United States Patent 3,223,465 DRIVE UNIT BEARING ASSEMBLY George Y. Ono, Mayfield Heights, Ohio, assiguor to Thompson Ramo Wooldridge Inc., a corporation of Ohio Original application Sept. 23, 1957, Ser. No. 685,603, now Patent No. 3,095,712, dated July 2, 1963. Divided and this application Nov. 13, 1962, Ser. No. 237,194 4 Claims. (Cl. 308187) This is a division of my application entitled Drive Coupling, Serial No. 685,603, filed September 23, 1957, now Patent No. 3,095,742, issued July 2, 1963.

This invention relates to a bearing assembly in a coupling unit used for drivingly connecting a load to a motive power source.

The coupling unit of this invention was particularly designed for use in aircraft such as airplanes, rockets, missiles, etc. in which there is available high pressure fluid, such as air from an engine compressor, and in which it is desired to operate a load device such as a pump of an hydraulic system. In such installations, it is desired to use a turbine as the motive power source, which is advantageously operated at very high speeds to obtain maximum power output relative to its size and weight. The load device, however, may advantageously be operated at a substantially lower speed and it is therefore necessary to provide a speed reduction between the turbine and the load. It is also desirable to provide means for regulating the operation of the turbine, which may include a device for sensing the speed of operation thereof.

Certain problems are encountered with such a system. In particular, the turbine is generally operated at a very high temperature and there is a severe problem with respect to heating of bearings and other elements. Another problem is that the drive coupling must be capable of withstand-ing high rates of acceleration and deceleration.

An object of this invention, accordingly, is to provide a drive coupling unit usable in conjunction with a high temperature motive power source.

Another object of this invention is to provide a drive coupling unit which will stand severe accelerations.

A further object of this invention is to provide a drive coupling unit which is simply and readily constructed and assembled, and yet efiicient and reliable in operation.

An important feature of this invention is based on the discovery that grease flow during high accelerations can result in the loss of grease and other improper operation. According to this invention, the grease chambers are made of minimum size which it is found results in good retention of the grease.

This invention contemplates other and more specific objects, features and advantages which will become more fully apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which illustrate a preferred embodiment and in which:

The figure is a sectional elevational view of a drive coupling unit and illustrates the invention being incorporated therein.

Reference numeral generally designates a drive coupling unit which is connected to a turbine generally designated by reference numeral 11 and a load device, not shown, which is secured to the unit 10 by means of bolts 12. The turbine 11 comprises a rotor 13 including peripherally spaced vanes 13a, the rotor 13 being mounted on one end of a shaft 14 which is journaled in the housing of the coupling unit '10, the housing being indicated by reference numeral 15. The other end of the shaft 14 carries a pinion 16 which is meshed with a gear 17 on a 3,223,465 Patented Dec. 14, 1965 second shaft 18 which is journaled for rotation in the housing 15 on an axis parallel to the axis of the shaft 14. A coupling member 19 extends within an end portion of the shaft 18 with a spline coupling therebetween, the coupling member 19 being arranged to be coupled to the hydraulic pump which forms the load device.

An electrical speed sensing device 20 is provided and, as indicated diagrammatically in FIGURE 3, is connected to a controller 21 for a valve 22 which regulates the supply of fluid to the turbine 11.

The turbine 11 comprises a casing formed of two sections 23 and '24 which are secured together by screws 25. The turbine casing is secured to the housing 15 by means of screws 26 which extend through lugs 27 on the housing 15 and are threaded into the casing section 2-4. Bushings 28 are provided within the lugs 27 and around the screws .26, which bushings are of a material having a low coefficient of thermal conductivity.

A mounting sleeve 29 is provided between the turbine casing and the housing 15, the sleeve 29 being of a material having a low coefficient of thermal conductivity.

A seal member 30 is provided on the shaft 14 which is journaled in an opening 31 in the casing section 24. The seal member 30 serves to minimize the flow of gases from within the turbine casing along the shaft 14. It is of a material having a low coefficient of thermal conductivity to minimize heat transfer from the casing section 24 to the bearings for the shaft 14. In addition, the seal member 30 is formed with a plurality of axially spaced annular grooves 32 to further reduce the conduction of heat. The seal member 30 is also provided with a recess 33 in its inner surface to further reduce the conduction of heat.

To further reduce the conduction of heat from the turbine casing to the housing 15 and the bearings for the shaft 14, a shield or spacer 34 is disposed about the shaft 14 and the seal member 30 within the mounting sleeve 29. The spacer member 34 is preferably formed of a material having a low coeflicient of thermal conductivity. In addition, it is provided with a recess or groove 35 extending radially outwardly from the inner surface there of to reduce the conduction of heat. I

There is a possibility of some leakage of gases past the seal member 30 and a vent is provided to allow escape of such gases to the surrounding space, without flow into the housing 15. For this purpose, the spacer 34 is provided with an annular recess 36 in the outer face thereof and a plurality of ports 37 extending radially outwardly from the recess 36. The mounting sleeve 29 is similarly provided with ports 38 which may be aligned with the ports 37. Preferably, the spacer 34 is provide-d with an annular groove 39 in its outer surface to insure communication between the ports 37 and 38 regardless of the relative alignment thereof. In addition to providing for flow of gases, the recess 36 and the ports 37 and 38 serve to further reduce the thermal conductivity of the members, to minimize transfer of heat from the turbine casing to the housing 15.

To journal the shaft 14 in the housing 15, a pair of ball bearing assemblies 40 and 41 are provided. The bearing assembly 40 has an inner race member 42, an outer race member 43 and a plurality of balls 44'. The bearing assembly 41 similarly comprises an inner race member 45, an outer race member 46 and a plurality of balls 47. The inner bearing members 42 and 45 are disposed on the shaft 14 with a spacer sleeve 48 therebetween. According to this invention, the outer bearing members 43 and 46 are disposed within a sleeve 49 which is disposed in a bore 50 of the housing 15. The sleeve 49 is of a material having a low coefiicient of thermal conductivity.

The sleeve 49, and also the elements 28, 29, 30 and 34, are preferably of a nickel base alloy designed to provide a low coeflicient of thermal conductivity, while providing the high strength and resistance to corrosion. Most preferably, these elements are of a n1ckel base alloy having a high molybdenum content. It has been found that an alloy of 60-65% nickel, 25-35% molybdenum, 5% iron, and 0.5% manganese is particularly suitable. This material has a thermal conductivity of 6.55 B.t.u. per sq. ft. per ft. per hour per degree F. as compared to 28.2 for steel; a thermal diffusivity of 0.125 sq. ft. per lb. versus .731 for steel; a thermal coefficient of expansion of .0000056 inch per degree F. versus 0.0000065 for steel and a specific weight of 577 lbs. per cu. ft. versus 490 for steel. Its other mechanical properties are similar to those for medium carbon steels. In addition to its excellent mechanical and thermal properties, it has been found that this material has excellent corrosion resistance properties.

It is to be noted that the housing and also the turbine casing are of iron, steel or similar materials having a relatively high coefiicient of thermal conductivity. Accordingly, the heat generated in the turbine will be dissipated into the surrounding space through the turbine casing and will not fiow to the unit 10, due to the provision of the elements of low thermal conductivity as described above. Further, any heat that is tranferred to the housing 15 for the unit 10 will be dissipated into the surrounding space and will not flow to the bearings, due to the provision of the sleeve 49 of low thermal conductivity.

An important feature of the invention is in the provision of grease chambers of minimum volume, to minimize any pumping action produced by the bearings, and to minimize flow of grease during high rates of acceleration. In particular, the spacer 34 is disposed closely adjacent the bearing assembly to form a grease retainer and a ring 51 is disposed on the inner side of the bearing assembly 40 to form another grease retainer. A spring retaining ring 52 is disposed between the outer bearing member 43 and the grease retainer 51. The spacer 34 and the grease retainer 51, may if desired, be provided with annular grooves directly opposite the ball bearing members 44, as illustrated, but it will be appreciated that the grease chambers should be of the smallest possible size commensurate with adequate supply of lubrication. An O-ring seal 53 is provided between the outer surface of the grease retainer 51 and the inner surface of the sleeve 49.

With respect to the bearing assembly 41, a grease retainer ring 54 is disposed closely adjacent the inner side thereof and a grease retainer 55 is disposed on the outer side thereof. O-ring seals 56 and 57 are provided between the grease retainers 54 and 55, respectively, and the inner surface of the sleeve 49. The grease retainer 55 has an integral reduced diameter sleeve portion 58 which is integrally connected to a portion 59 which is recessed to receive a coiled compression spring 60 also engaged in a recess in the grease retainer 51. The spring 60 serves to urge the grease retainer 51 against the retaining ring 52 and also serves to urge the grease retainer 55 and the bearing assembly 41 toward the grease retainer 54, to thus fix the axial position of the parts.

The bearing support of the shaft 18 is similar to that for the shaft 14. In particular, it comprises a pair of ball bearing assemblies 61 and 62 assembled within the sleeve 63 within a bore 64 in the housing 15. The sleeve 63 is preferably of a material having a low thermal conductivity relative to the thermal conductivity of the housing.

A pair of grease retainer rings 65 and 66 are disposed on opposite sides of the bearing assembly 61 with O-rings 67 and 68 respectively disposed between the grease re tainers 65 and 66 and the inside surface of the sleeve 63. A similar pair of grease retainer rings 69 and 70 are disposed closely adjacent opposite sides of the bearing assembly 62 with corresponding O-rings 71 and 72. The grease 4- retainer rings 66 and 69 are recessed to receive a spring 73 which acts to hold the parts in fixed assembly.

It may here be noted that the intermediate portions of the sleeves 49 and 63 may have slightly reduced diameters to reduce heat conduction between the sleeves and the housing. The chambers so defined are connected together by a passage 74 and are connected to the gear chamber by means of a groove 75.

The speed sensing unit 20 comprises a coil which is mounted within a sleeve 76 threaded into the housing 15, and a rotor 77 which is secured to the end of the shaft 18 by means of a screw 78. The rotor 77 is magnetized to define a plurality of magnetic pawls and as the shaft is rotated, an alternating electrical signal is generated in the coil having a frequency proportional to the speed of rotation of the shaft 18. This signal is used to control the controller 21 which controls operation of the valve 22. Such a system is known in the art and is not therefore described in detail.

It will be understood that modifications and variations may be effected without departing from the spirit and scope of the novel concepts of this invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a drive coupling unit for use under severe acceleration conditions,

a housing having a bore therein,

a shaft in said bore,

means defining radially inwardly and outwardly facing lubricated bearing surfaces respectively in said bore and on said shaft,

bearing elements between said surfaces, and means for confining said lubricant immediately adjacent said bearing elements between said bearing surfaces during high accelerations of said unit, including a pair of rings disposed closely adjacent to and axially of the sides of said bearing elements to define a lubrication chamber of minimum volume,

and thereby to minimize pumping action on the lubricant and to minimize flow during high accelerations of the unit.

2. In a drive coupling unit for use under severe acceleration conditions,

a housing having a bore therein,

a shaft in said bore,

a pair of axially spaced bearing assemblies each including means defining radially inwardly and outwardly facing lubricated bearing surfaces in said bore and on said shaft,

bearing elements between said surfaces, and means for confining said lubricant immediately adjacent said bearing elements between said bearing surfaces during high accelerations of said unit, including a pair of rings disposed closely adjacent to and on axially opposite sides of said bearing elements to define a lubrication chamber of minimum volume,

thereby to minimize pumping action on the lubricant and to minimize flow during high accelerations of the unit.

3. In a drive coupling unit for use under severe acceleration conditions,

a housing having a bore therein,

a shaft in said bore,

means defining radially inwardly and outwardly facing lubricated bearing surfaces respectively in said bore and on said shaft,

bearing elements between said surfaces, and means for confining said lubricant immediately adjacent said bearing elements between said bearing surfaces during high accelerations of said unit, including a pair of rings disposed closely adjacent to and axially of the sides of said bearing elements to define a lubrication chamber of minimum volume,

and thereby to minimize pumping action on the lubricant and to minimize flow during high accelerations of the unit, and seal means between at least one of said rings and said bore.

4. In a drive coupling unit for use under severe acceleration conditions,

a housing having a bore therein,

a shaft in said bore,

a pair of coaxial annular bearing members between said shaft and said bore defining radially inwardly and outwardly facing lubricated bearing surfaces, bearing elements between said bearing surfaces, means for confining said lubricant immediately adjacent said bearing elements between said bearing surfaces during high accelerations of said unit, including a pair of rings disposed closely adjacent to and on axially opposite sides of said bearing elements to define a lubrication chamber of minimum volume,

means for limiting axial movement of one of said rings away from said bearing members, and spring means acting on the other of said rings to urge it and said bearing members toward said one of said rings.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 8/1926 Smith 308187.2 1/1928 Pflcegor 308187X 11/1938 Kindig.

10/1941 Jones 74 421 3/1943 Hoge 74 421 10/1948 Pew 308187 10/1958 Sutherland 308-187 FOREIGN PATENTS 6/1925' Great Britain.

DON A. WAITE, Primary Examiner.

FRANK SUSKO, ROBERT C. RIORDON, Examiners. 

1. A IN DRIVE COUPLING UNIT FOR USE UNDER SEVERE ACCELERATION CONDITIONS, A HOUSING HAVING A BORE THEREIN, A SHAFT IN SAID BORE, MEANS DEFINING RADIALLY INWARDLY AND OUTWARDLY FACING LUBRICATED BEARING SURFACES RESPECTIVELY IN SAID BORE AND ON SAID SHAFT, BEARING ELEMENTS BETWEEN SAID SURFACES, AND MEANS FOR CONFINING SAID LUBRICANT IMMEDIATELY ADJACENT SAID BEARING ELEMENTS BETWEEN SAID BEARING SURFACES DURING HIGH ACCELERATIONS OF SAID UNIT, INCLUDING A PAIR OF RINGS DISPOSED CLOSELY ADJACENT TO AND AXIALLY OF THE SIDES OF SAID BEARING ELEMENTS TO DEFINE A LUBRICATION CHAMBER OF MINIMUM VOLUME, AND THEREBY TO MINIMIZE PUMPING ACTION ON THE LUBRICANT AND TO MINIMIZE FLOW DURING HIGH ACCELERATIONS OF THE UNIT. 